Break It Down: PWG DDT4 (2011)

DDT4 (2011) on March 4th, 2011

Opening Match: First Round: Brandon Gatson and Willie Mack vs. Matt and Nick Jackson
Matt cuts a promo before the match, which Gatson interrupts with a dive to the floor. Mack connects with a leg lariat on Nick and the faces follow with an elbow drop-side slam combination. Mack assists Gatson in hitting a russian leg sweep on Matt and adds an enzuigiri. Nick interrupts a slingshot attempt from Gatson and Matt catches him with a baseball slide. The Young Bucks isolate Gatson until he blocks a slingshot facebuster attempt by Nick with an atomic drop. There’s some apparent miscommunication as Matt didn’t cut off Gatson from making the tag soon enough, so he looked like a goof being so close to Mack without tagging out. Gatson hits an STO on Nick and is now able to make the tag. Nick accidentally knees Matt in the face, allowing Mack to connect with a series of clotheslines. Gatson clotheslines Nick to the floor and follows out with a space flying tiger drop. Mack hits a Samoan drop on Matt and adds a standing moonsault. Matt counters a powerbomb into a victory roll for a nearfall. Gatson and Mack hit a neckbreaker-uranagi combination on Matt for a two count. Matt spears Mack but Nick finds knees on a springboard splash. Gatson and Mack lay out Matt with a spinebuster-blockbuster combination for a nearfall. Nick delivers a nasty superkick to each of his opponents. Matt covers Mack for the win at 11:37. This was an effective opener that only suffered from uncharacteristic sloppiness at points. It felt like Gaston and Mack had been teaming for years, as they utilized some incredible double team maneuvers throughout the match. The Young Bucks were solid as usual and much like last year’s DDT4, they started the show off right. ***

Match #2: First Round: Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards vs. Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma
Richards lays in one kick and Yuma quickly retreats to the floor. The action goes to the mat where Richards bends Yuma’s leg behind his head. Yuma finds life with a headscissors on Richards and sends Edwards to the floor with a hurricanrana. Goodtime lands a dive to the outside onto the American Wolves. In the ring, Goodtime lands a slingshot leg drop onto Edwards. He follows with a northern lights suplex. Edwards refuses a clean break and chops Goodtime. The American Wolves work him over until he hits a chinbreaker on Richards and tags out. Yuma finds success with a flying hip attack on Richards and Goodtime adds a slingshot double stomp. Richards answers with a powerful scoop slam on Yuma and the American Wolves connect with stereo basement dropkicks. They isolate Yuma, with Richards murdering him with a kick after he tried to win a slap exchange. Yuma connects with an enzuigiri on Edwards, dodges a clothesline from Richards, and makes the tag. Goodtime hits a neckbreaker on Edwards and connects with a double stomp. He follows with a double slingshot dropkick and hits a falcon arrow on Edwards. Goodtime uses Yuma as a battering ram and then slams him onto Edwards. Edwards superkicks Yuma and hits a dragon screw leg whip on Goodtime. Richards applies an ankle lock on Goodtime, who turns the hold into a rollup for a nearfall. Richards recovers with a saito suplex. Goodtime kicks Edwards off the apron and lands a frog splash onto Richards for a two count. Richards and Goodtime exchange strikes. Edwards elevates Goodtime into an Alarm Clock from Richards. The American Wolves knock Yuma off the apron and hit their superkick-german suplex combination on Goodtime for a nearfall. Edwards gets Goodtime in a powerbomb position and Richards hits a backcracker. Edwards synchs in an achilles lock on Goodtime for the victory at 20:52. This contest featured near constant action for twenty minutes and totally caught me off-guard as a first round match. To be honest, this match felt like it could have been the finals of the whole tournament. The RockNES Monsters have never looked better in PWG and after winning their match at the last show, they have a ton of momentum heading forward. The American Wolves deserve some credit as well and this was just a perfect pairing for the first round. The action was consistently entertaining throughout and the match uniquely found its story down the stretch with Goodtime’s injured leg. This contest topped my expectations and both teams put in a great performance. ***¾

Match #3: First Round: Brandon and Dustin Cutler vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero
Dustin takes down Claudio with a shoulder tackle but runs into a clothesline. Brandon wins an exchange against Hero and the Cutlers hit stereo shoulder blocks. Claudio connects with an uppercut on Dustin and impressively military presses him. The Kings of Wrestling isolate Dustin, targeting his left arm. Claudio dead-lifts him into a gutwrench suplex at one point. Dustin hits a wheelbarrow bulldog on Claudio and makes the tag. Brandon connects with a spin kick on Hero and leapfrogs over him to hit a leg drop on Claudio. He follows with an ace crusher on Hero and hits a guillotine leg drop. The Cutlers hit Six Second Abs on Hero for a nearfall. Hero fights back with a series of roaring elbows. Claudio pulls down his kneepad and connects with a running knee strike on Dustin. He hits a chokeslam on Dustin while Hero and Brandon brawl around ringside. Brandon lands a dive to the floor onto Hero while Dustin hits a TKO on Claudio, who responds with a popup european uppercut. Claudio giant swings Dustin into a basement dropkick from Hero for a nearfall. The Kings of Wrestling lay out Dustin with a roaring elbow-bicycle kick combination for the win at 16:21. These two teams succeeded in providing a different style of match than we’ve seen thus far. There weren’t too many frantic exchanges or nearfalls. Instead, they slowed things down and showcased their power offenses. The action satisfyingly picked up down the stretch and the finish was really cool and something that I’ve never seen before from the Kings of Wrestling. It’ll be interesting to see if they show any dissention in their next match. ***¼

Match #4: First Round: Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa
Jay and Tozawa start with some chain wrestling. Tozawa connects with a bicycle kick and a sliding dropkick. Steen tags in and immediately bites Jay’s nose. Mark catches Steen with a yakuza kick and Jay adds one of his own. Steen blocks a biel by biting Mark’s ear. The Briscoes take him down with a double team uranagi. Steen slams Mark across Jay’s back and tags out. Tozawa starts screaming and the crowd mimics him. Eventually, Tozawa has enough and tells everyone to shut the f**k up. He hits a senton on Jay and applies a headlock once the crowd starts chanting his name. Jay plants Tozawa with a spinebuster and both men tag out. Mark connects with a spin kick on Steen and hits an exploder. He follows with a springboard dropkick. Mark and Tozawa trade karate offense and start screaming at each other until their partners break it up. Mark superkicks Tozawa and Jay adds a clothesline. Steen hits a powerbomb on Jay, who answers with a death valley driver. Mark lands a flipping senton onto Steen. Tozawa interrupts a doomsday device attempt. Steen and Tozawa hit a doomsday shining wizard on Jay for the victory at 9:43. Everyone knows about the history between Steen and the Briscoes and Tozawa fit right in, especially with his karate exchange against Mark. Much like the opener, this was a fun sprint that gave a taste of what Steen and Tozawa could do as a team. Everyone’s antics made for a vocal crowd and the fact that both teams could have realistically won helped matters as well. ***

Match #5: Semifinal Round: Matt and Nick Jackson vs. Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards
The Young Bucks take time to do their signature pose and Nick channels Jeff Jarrett. When they try again, the American Wolves pepper them with strikes. The American Wolves kick the Young Bucks off the apron and land stereo dives to the floor. In the ring, Edwards hits a sit-out gourdbuster on Nick and Richards follows with a missile dropkick. Nick is worked over until he backs Richards into his corner. The Young Bucks isolate Richards until he punts Nick from the apron and makes the tag. Edwards connects with a nice missile dropkick on Matt followed by a shining wizard. He overhead suplexes Nick into Matt and hits a tiger suplex on Matt. The American Wolves hit their superkick-german suplex combination on Matt for a nearfall. Edwards hits a liger bomb on Matt but he won’t stay down. Richards connects with a knockout kick on Matt and Edwards comes off the middle rope with a lungblower. Nick superkicks Richards and lands a dive to the floor onto Edwards. Matt hits a tombstone on Richards for a huge nearfall. Richards connects with a handspring gamenguiri on Matt but eats a spin kick from Nick. Everyone exchanges superkicks and Richards applies an ankle lock on Nick. Matt hits a reverse hurricanrana on Richards, who immediately responds with a clothesline. All four men are down. Nick low blows Edwards behind the referee’s back. Nick whiffs on a 450 attempt and Richards german suplexes Matt from the top rope. The American Wolves hit their double team backcracker on Matt for a nearfall. Edwards applies a half crab on Matt. However, Matt is able to turn the hold into a small package for the win at 16:07. Despite these two teams having wrestled before in ROH, I always wondered what they could do together in front of a raucous PWG crowd. I found my answer and for the second time on this show, the American Wolves are apart of a great match. The first half of the match was made interesting by the dynamic personalities of the teams. However, once the action broke down, these two teams displayed some of the most exciting action that I’ve seen in awhile. The finish was also a smart way to make the crowd hate the Young Bucks even more while setting up a possible rematch somewhere down the line. This show could end right now and I would give it a recommendation. ***¾

Match #6: Semifinal Round: Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero vs. Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa
Hero controls on the mat against Steen. Claudio finds himself in the wrong corner, where Tozawa chokes him. Tozawa tries to chop Claudio but runs into a shoulder block. Hero and Tozawa come face-to-face. Tozawa spits at Hero, who returns the favor after a few vicious strikes. Tozawa sends Claudio to the floor but Claudio blocks a dive with an uppercut. The Kings of Wrestling isolate Tozawa until he hits a huge saito suplex on Hero and makes the tag. Steen hits a lungblower on Claudio and follows with a corner cannonball. He springboards off the middle rope and plants Claudio with a tornado DDT. Tozawa sends Hero to the floor with a bicycle kick and follows out with three consecutive dives. Claudio wins a strike exchange against Steen and both men are down. Tozawa tags in but runs into a popup european uppercut. Hero adds a liger bomb and a piledriver but Tozawa won’t stay down. Tozawa hits a german suplex on Hero for a close nearfall. Tozawa follows with two bicycle kicks but Hero responds with a roaring elbow. Hero covers but Tozawa kicks out at one! Hero takes out Tozawa with a roaring mafia kick but misses a top rope moonsault. Tozawa rolls up Hero for the victory at 16:42. Tozawa absolutely stole the spotlight in this match. Watching him try to fight off Hero and Claudio was incredibly entertaining early on. Then, his exchange with Hero to end the match was terrific. Not only were they able to generate excitement and believable nearfalls, but they played off their singles contest from last year’s Battle of Los Angeles. Steen and Tozawa have been a brilliant pairing and they head into the finals with the crowd solidly behind them. ***½

Joey Ryan is in the ring. Although he could have been in the tournament, he is destined for singles success. He will challenge Claudio Castagnoli for the PWG World Title at the next show. Tonight, he wants a warm-up match. He has devised a gauntlet match, with the winner facing him tonight…

Match #7: Gauntlet Match: Brian Cage-Taylor vs. Ryan Taylor vs. Peter Avalon vs. Candice LeRae
Cage and Taylor start. They trade control on the mat. After a quick exchange, Taylor dropkicks Cage to the floor but runs into a backbreaker in the ring. Cage takes over, hitting an impressive suplex from the middle rope. Taylor comes back with a pele kick and a springboard dropkick. He takes out Cage with a dive to the outside. In the ring, Taylor lands a swantan but falls victim to a DDT. Cage hits an innovative backbreaker for a nearfall. They trade strikes and Taylor hits a twisting neckbreaker to defeat Cage. Avalon storms the ring and goes to work on Taylor. He hits a butterfly suplex and connects with a leg lariat. Avalon follows with an ace crusher on the apron and then lands a moonsault from the apron. Back in, Taylor hits three arm wringers and applies a crossface. Avalon is able to reach the bottom rope. He hits a swinging neckbreaker but walks into a clothesline from Taylor. Taylor hits a go 2 sleep. He tries for a twisting neckbreaker but Avalon rolls him up to defeat him. LeRae enters the ring. Joey Ryan sneaks into the ring as well and superkicks Avalon. LeRae covers Avalon for the win at 15:49. Despite a decent outing from Cage and Taylor, the crowd was pretty quiet for most of the action. There had been a lot of exciting contests thus far and I think everyone knew that this match was on the card to give the final two teams a breather. The finish served its purpose but made the action that came before it kind of moot. **¼

Ryan grabs a microphone and makes it clear that he doesn’t take LeRae seriously. LeRae tells him that he looks ridiculous and that she could make him tap out. Ryan offers to put his #1 contender status on the line in the next match…

Match #8: Candice LeRae vs. Joey Ryan
The crowd chants “next world champ” at LeRae. She tries a few rollups to no avail. LeRae applies an octopus hold but Ryan retreats to the ropes. Ryan shoves her down to the canvas and takes control. LeRae channels Human Tornado with corner kicks. Ryan retreats to the floor. LeRae dives through the ropes and hits a tornado DDT on the outside. In the ring, LeRae hits a russian leg sweep and locks in another octopus hold. Ryan answers with a boobsplex but falls victim to a superplex. LeRae hits a ballsplex followed by a reverse hurricanrana for a nearfall. She misses a moonsault and Ryan connects with a superkick. Ryan applies a kimura for the victory at 9:02. While they got the crowd’s attention and delivered a decent match, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen this all before. Additionally, I have a hard time believing that LeRae came close to defeating the #1 contender for the PWG World Title. Sure, Ryan wasn’t taking her seriously early on, but if the title means so much to him, why wasn’t he? At the risk of overanalyzing, I’ll just call this a harmless nine-minute match. **

Match #9: Final Round: Matt and Nick Jackson vs. Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa
Steen and Tozawa attack during the Young Bucks’ entrance. Tozawa back drops Nick onto a chair while Steen rams Matt into the apron. Chairs go flying as both teams brawl around ringside. Steen lands a frog splash from the apron onto Nick. Nick responds with a few chair shots. Tozawa bicycle kicks Matt and Steen throws him into the ringpost. Steen powerbombs Matt and Nick across the apron. He powerbombs Matt across the apron two more times for good measure. In the ring, Steen lands a leg drop from the middle rope onto Matt. Steen misses a top rope moonsault and the Young Bucks isolate him, targeting his left leg. Matt uses an actual rake to rake Steen’s back. That makes Tozawa incredibly angry but the Young Bucks DDT him onto a chair. A referee carries Tozawa to the back. Steen tries to fight back but gets back dropped on the apron. Nick throws him into the ringpost, busting him open. The Young Bucks maintain control and continue to work over Steen’s left leg. They attempt More Bang for Your Buck but Tozawa runs into the ring to break it up. Steen locks in a sharpshooter on Matt. Nick tries to break the hold but Tozawa german suplexes him. Tozawa german suplexes Matt onto Nick and follows with a hesitation german suplex on Matt for a nearfall. Steen picks up the Young Bucks and hits a samoan drop. Steen hits a package piledriver on Matt and Tozawa adds a shining wizard for a nearfall. Nick tosses Tozawa to the floor and follows out with a dive. The Young Bucks murder Steen with superkicks for a nearfall. They follow with four more superkicks but Steen won’t stay down. Tozawa goes ape shit on the Young Bucks but eats stereo superkicks. The Young Bucks hit More Bang for Your Buck on Tozawa to win DDT4 at 20:52. This match started out similarly to the finals of DDT4 in 2009 where Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong spent the first half of the match beating the hell out of the Young Bucks. The action settled down with the Young Bucks working over Steen’s leg and an interesting dynamic was added when Tozawa got taken out of the match. When Tozawa returned, this match reminded me of why I love PWG. The sheer energy in the building was off the charts and everything came together to form an epic finale. I especially liked how Steen survived a barrage of superkicks, as that’s how the Young Bucks defeated Steen and Generico back in 2009. This was a tremendous way to end a consistently awesome tournament. ****

After the match, Steen offers a handshake but the Young Bucks superkick him. Tozawa takes care of his partner as a fan’s chair randomly collapses at ringside. Matt grabs a microphone and actually thanks the crowd. He says that winning DDT4 in 2009 put the Young Bucks on the map. They are coming after Paul London and El Generico. To bring everything full circle, Matt ends by saying that they dedicate tonight to Dixie Carter.

The 411: DDT4 (2011) gives the 2009 version a run for its money when deciding the best edition of the tournament yet. Every tournament match cracked three stars, which is a testament to how hard everyone was working to make this show special. While the non-tournament matches weren’t on par, they definitely didn’t hinder the show. You really can’t go wrong here, with two excellent American Wolves’ matches and a terrific main event. I would truly consider this a “must have” show.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]